Nirmala Sitharaman

By Harish Thapar , 20 March 2026

Nirmala Sitharaman has announced measures to strengthen India’s energy and agricultural supply chains amid geopolitical disruptions in West Asia. With LPG imports impacted due to the closure of the Strait of Hormuz, the government is accelerating domestic production to ensure uninterrupted household supply. Simultaneously, authorities have confirmed adequate fertiliser availability for the upcoming Kharif season and plans for timely imports for the Rabi cycle. In a significant fiscal move, the government will also clear Rs.

By Keshav Sharma , 19 March 2026

Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman reaffirmed on Friday that India will maintain its fiscal discipline for FY26 despite introducing the second batch of Supplementary Demands for Grants, amounting to Rs 2.81 lakh crore across 61 grants. Addressing the Lok Sabha, she assured members that these additional allocations remain within the government’s fiscal deficit target of 4.4 per cent of GDP for 2025–26, while setting a lower target of 4.3 per cent for FY27.